One moment, El was in the air with Akero - having been preparing a Life Dew to aid those who had been injured, including the Zamazenta. The shield had been struck - and something in its reverberations had made them flinch back, something in their chest almost seeming to match it, and then--

The next, they were amidst snow and decay. A hilly landscape, characterized by falling snow and barren trees - which though El expected for deciduous trees to have shed their leaves in this cold... What about the evergreens, who also appeared to be missing their needles completely? And why did the air feel so thick with... Not quite tension - that wasn't the word they were looking for - but nonetheless some form of ill?

Glancing about, they noticed that they were the only one to wake up here; there was no sign of anyone else in the immediate area, aside from Akero, who was shaking the snow off of her feathers. The fairy-type glanced around - letting out a puzzled whistle, as if wondering where everyone else went - before glancing over to El, waiting for their input.

Which, with how ungodly cold it was, El stepped closer to Akero. Her thick feathers, large size, and the inherent warmth they gave off made her a bit of a natural space heater - and she was more than happy to provide! "C'mon, Akero..." They murmured to her - climbing into her saddle. "Let's - let's see if we can find anyone else out here..."

Taking flight, the two stayed low - avoiding exposing themselves to the freezing open air above. But even at this height, El noticed a building off in the distance, up the slope. Surely, they weren't the only one to have seen it - that was probably where the others would be gathering... But more importantly, Akero chirruped at the sight of a couple people down below - a man and his farigiraf.

"Good eye, Akero," El praised - stroking his neck, before directing him downwards.

The two would land near Tempest Quinn - and it didn't take a genius, for El to realize that this was one of the Rocket members that they had seen in the chaos before. Briefly, they hesitated - certainly, members like Isaac Merlo (or as they knew him, Blackjack) or ana fell were friends; but the same couldn't be said about every other Rocket member. Though, given that they hadn't seen him attacking Zamazenta or any fellow League members like some of the others had been...

"H-hey - I'm not here to fight. Are you or your pokemon hurt?" They'd call to Tempest - sliding down from Akero's saddle, and carefully leaning on their cane as they added "My togekiss here can heal - and if you're cold, she can, uhm, keep the both of us warm."

With Tempest's agreement, Akero would go at this much like a penguin might, as the saddle wasn't made to hold two people at once. Both trainers would be pulled in close as if they were her chicks - one wing wrapped around El, the other wrapped around Temp - to allow them both to snuggle up and nestle into her thick, fluffy, and most importantly warm feathers.

Even just standing next to Akero was better than braving the cold beyond - but if you asked El, cuddling up to her like this was practically heaven. "Did you see the building, up the slope?" They questioned - glancing over to Tempest. "I - uhm - saw it while flying on Akero. I think that the others will probably be moving that way, too." Both League and Rocket, more likely than not.

And keeping with said penguin analogy, Akero began to waddle through the snow to ferry El and Temp along - heading towards said building. All the while, the fairy-type whistled out a jaunty tune, as if this were some sort of jovial journey...

TLDR / NOTES :
- El and Togekiss attempted a Life Dew, but get succ'd by the shield
- The two wake up alone in the snow - but Togekiss' thick fluffy feathers, size, and warmth make her a natural space heater.
- El notices the building while flying low - but also notices Tempest Quinn , who they land to offer aid to.
- (Probably obvious that El uses a cane + favors their left leg)
- Togekiss snuggles El + Temp as if she were a penguin and they are her chicks, begins waddling up the slope to the building.
GvW7hwI5

All the evil of the world cascades towards them. This evil does not care about sides, loyalties, affiliations. Humanity and its civilization are powerless, now and always, against nature’s cruelty. White rage threatens to take them all.[break]

Dogs little understand or notice such grand notions. All this creature notices is that first blood goes to Rocket. Jubei’s blade finds purchase. It sinks deep into the flesh inside the flower, painting the ground and its trainer’s face crimson.[break]

“Damn it.” Rocket’s blade curses. To Genevieve Cromwell , this must seem a great tragedy. A trusted partner loves the woman enough to die for her. It’s just a setback – like aiming for the brain and only catching a hand. Professional pride spurs him to finish the job. Drawing the blade, he steps forward...[break]

…only to have Jubei grab him by the stomach. Seeing the Pokemon as but an extension of himself, the dog jerks around. Anger fills amber at the edges of his eyes. Rage at someone getting in his way.[break]

“What the hell are you—”[break]

And then, he sees it – in all its terror. A dog with its dull understanding of esoteric civilization sees the white death coming for them all. He thinks he knows red rage. Watching the white, he understands…[break]

He doesn’t even know pink. What he feels in that avalanche is every shade of red. Scarlet, crimson, maroon, the little colors that dot the line between red and its neighbors on the color wheel. Whatever this creature is, it hates them. It hates them with such malice that Hitoshi’s first instinct is to abandon the mission, grab Yumi Hasegawa , drop this pretense of climbing the underworld, and run far far away.[break]

…there are things out there far more dangerous than both the League and Team Rocket combined…[break]

Elinor Anderson ’s words, the words of a nameless prisoner in this dog’s world, run through his head. He trembles. When faced with the choice to fight or fly, he stands stock still. Watches what’s coming, slack-jawed.[break]

Jubei is his salvation. Using his capacity to produce fire, he launches them both into the air in a gout of flame. It’s hot, burning the edge of his getup. The dog doesn’t yap. He’s too busy gawking at the cat.[break]

He wants to kill it.[break]

For once in his life, he wishes something dead. He understands a truth the accumulated grudges, fear, envy, and rage of the humans will prevent many of them from seeing. For all the poisoned promises of power it could offer them, this monster is an existential threat. It will ruin them. They will all die. Yumi will die.[break]

He will die, and by so doing, he will break his promise.[break]

So, the dog resolves he will kill this monster. [break]

Before he can act on this newfound resolve, he is pulled far, far away. Down into the darkness of the shield. Hitoshi screams but finds his air has no lungs. He thinks death has come for him.[break]

His last thought is of her, all alone. Her tears when she thought he died. He can’t die here. He must simply live.[break]

So, he simply lives.[break]

He pulls himself out of the snow and finds he is somewhere else entirely. Coughing, he pushes snow the heat of his body has melted into water out of his lungs. Throwing off his ridiculous hat, he sees his breath in the air.[break]

It is so…[break]

So, so, so…[break]

Cold.[break]

Struggling to his feet, he calls out. He finds he doesn’t know anyone’s names.[break]

“Heeeey! Is anybody out there?!” There is nothing on his comm network. It has been broken. He is on his own. The cold starts to seep into him. All he can do is sheath his sword, keep Jubei close, and get to moving through this new snowy land.[break]

He can’t shake the feeling he is in this creature’s domain now. It hates them all so much. It wants to kill them. He feels like he is being hunted. A lone wolf will die. He has to find others.[break][break]

Only adrenaline and the heat of his body as he runs staves off the cold. He doesn’t notice Jubei by his side. He’s only focused on running forward. Finding someone. Anyone.[break]

Up above him, he sees a familiar creature fly. Dark wings that might strike terror into the hearts of many make the dog’s heart soar.[break]

“Blondie?” He asks to no one. “BLONDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!” Running through the landscape, he finally sees him, Cillian Quinn .[break]

…without his own loved one.[break]

“Oi, Blondie!” Hitoshi waves, trotting through the snow in his clogs. They soak the socks he’s wearing. His feet are freezing.[break]

“Blondie. Where’s Brownie? Is he alright?” His tone is caked with concern for Tempest Quinn ’s well-being. “Blondie, we gotta kill that cat. It’s gonna kill everybody. Yumi, Brownie, everybody.” Such banal things as how the cold is freezing his blood, or how frost will soon start biting at his limbs, or even where they are, doesn’t matter.[break]

What matters is that he play a role, that he be a sword, that he kill the monster.

pc64IOPQ

Colton's face broke out into a wide grin as he watched Optimus make his way up the slope, successfully reaching Zamazenta and casting his barrier. It wasn't much and the legendary dog had already received much of the Rocket's combined attacks, but every little bit counted. His excitement, however, was short lived as the Wide Guard gave way to the assault, with his Iron Valiant being forced to beat a hasty retreat to avoid taking too much damage. For a being with such a mighty golden shield built into its mane, the Zamazenta couldn't have been more defenseless.

And, surprisingly, he could only feel a burning anger at that notion.

Colton couldn't explain it, but there was sense of hatred rising up in his chest. It wasn't even particulary focused on anything, just a sense of contempt for everything around him. Hatred towards the Rockets for the misery and pain that seemed to follow in their wake. Hatred towards the League for not doing more to stop them. Hatred towards Zamazenta for being unable to defend itself despite its might. Hatred towards Chien-Pao for this whole damn situation. And hatred towards himself, for being too weak to really make a difference.

"Damn it all..." COlton muttered to himself, following behind John Sullivan as he began to push his way forward to reach Zamazenta as it lay in the rapidly melting snow. Optimus joined his side again, having taken a wide berth to give itself as much space as possible to recover. The Iron Valiant looked a bit scuffed up, but really no worse for wear. Every cloud had to have its silver lining, after all, but it was not going to last long.

One final attack from the Chien-Pao landed on Zamazenta and its effects were devastating. The golden shield that had been attached to its mane had been knocked free, rendered as little more than a hunk of metal.

And then, all Colton could see was darkness.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Colton came too slowly, rubbing his head as he sat up. His back and pants felt damp and cold and all around him was fresh, undisturbed snow and a entire group of people slowly getting to their feet and taking in their surroundings. Optimus stood next to him, its robotic gaze appearing almost quizzical.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto..." he said as he got back to his feet and dusted the excess snow off of his lab coat. The thin garment did little to provide warmth but it was certainly better than nothing at all. Colton looked around again, trying to find a familiar face somewhere in the crowd, really to no avail. His best bet in that moment, he felt, was finding John Sullivan again. The guy had recruited him to his little Zamazenta Defense Force right before everything went to shit and he really had no better ideas.

"Let's get up to that building up there. Keep any eye out for anyone we may know or any attackers," Colton said to his Pokemon, pointing towards ancient structure with the statue of a horse and its small rider in front. The Iron Valiant's eyes flashed in confirmation and the pair began their trek upward.

Radio chatter confirmed that convening there was the obvious choice for most, as it was the only notable landmark nearby, but at least he would be able to meet up with other League members again. Even beyond that, there had to be a reason they had all been sent there when the Chien-Pao had attacked Zamazenta's shield and the best place to look for those answers had to be in that building.

TLDR:
- Colton and Iron Valiant began to head towards the building, wary of any oncoming attacks
- Colton ponders just why they were sent to this place specifically, even if he isn't exactly sure where this is
osmX12yI

It seemed that Elaine had been one of the fortunate ones. The plan to carve out a niche in the avalanche had worked like a charm. The grand wreath of flames that Tiamat had let lose had been enough to allow them a single spot of safety in the monstrous deluge.

"Tch."

Though she was able to protect herself, she could not extend that warm blanket towards anyone else. After all, she had found herself separated from the rest of the group. Though she had little time to wallow in regret. After all, if barely keeping herself safe was already a herculean task of its own, then being able to find and protect any others would have been even more arduous.

For the time, she just had to count her blessings on the fact that she remained safe for now and move on.

She was nothing like the woman who commanded Rayquaza in the visible distance after all.

"Well, at least now I know where everyone is. Lets get going that way."

But she would not be able to move even a single iota. The rusted shield pulsed with its now corrupted power. Though Elaine would not be aware of this truth, she would be swallowed up by the phenomenon all the same as her consciousness would distort before all vision and thought would finally shut off.

And then...

---

It was cold. It was biting at her legs. "GAH!"

The young woman, the moment she had even cracked open the darkness with even a semblance of consciousness forced herself off the ground and onto her feet while wiping away at chunks of snow that had stuck to her legs first and then her clothes.

Was this a dreamscape? The young woman had almost been unsure as to whether she was still asleep until she heard multiple voices in her earpiece. It was only at this moment that she had realized that she had a similar experience before. Upon an uncharted island that turned into some crazy virtual death game.

Still, she had to focus. She was stranded in some location she had never seen before and she was still alone. The fact that communications worked somewhere like this was at least a blessing.

"We're going to need to lay low for a bit Tiamat so get some rest. We can't have you flying around and alerting an enemy."

The dragon rubbed its head against her cheek. Taking that as a vote of acceptance, she returned it to its ball before tossing another one out, unveiling the a spectral knight.

"Keep close, Jeanne. Let's make our way to this statue but try not to draw too much attention for now. Best to keep our cards close to our chests."

She had already made the mistake of reckless procession once. She was not going to do it again. For the time being, she needed to scout out information about this area without getting caught and then relay information to the rest of the League. Rather than heading straight to the statue, it was better to explore a bit more while keeping the focal landmark in the periphery. She was already separated. Best to turn that into an advantage.

League Comms:
Detective Highland speaking. Gonna gather info from the periphery and relay any findings. Be careful.

---

TL;DR:

• Elaine's outfit, not well suited to the cold but such are the casualties of fashion
• Elaine remains mostly safe and wakes up still separated from the rest of the group
• Elaine switches out Flygon for Ceruledge
• Rather than rejoining the League, she opts to attempt some recon
• Communicates this and hopes that nobody unveils her

tGSyKl6n

The ensuing chaos wasn't easy to understand, especially without a Psychic Pokemon out to guide him. He was pretty sure he heard someone (Madeline McKenna ) shout in his direction, but he didn't recognize the voice - and a flurry of attacks drowned it out.

It sounded like his Magearna landed a solid hit on the feline, even blasting through the Avalanche well enough to keep them safe, but it was hard to miss all the attacks that sounded like they were hitting the dog.

A disgruntled groan came out of Hideo's throat. Only Rocket would be dumb enough to attack a literal guardian over a ruinous creature.

They really were only here to destroy his home, weren't they?

Before he could stew in his anger for long, a strange sensation ran through him, his heart changing pace against his own body. He had only a moment to realize something bad was happening before the vertigo hit.

Just as everything went blank for everyone, a small pixie emerged by Hideo. Uxie couldn't do anything to stop what was happening, but it did take the chance to disguise itself - it merely had to Skill Swap the Illusion ability from Hideo's Zoroark.

________

As Hideo came to, it was impossible to notice just how cold everything had gotten. The snow under his boots couldn't be missed - nor could he fail to notice the weight on his head.

"...please tell me you got a disguise up," Hideo groaned. The last thing he needed was Uxie getting outed amongst the Rockets with the fewest strands of common sense.

A mental confirmation confirmed it - and told him what Illusion Uxie had assumed: that of Hideo's Joltik. Best it could do with that little time. "Better than nothing."

Before he could even think about what to do next, he could feel his phone buzz - the name "Doug" read out as the source. He was quick to retrieve his phone, the message read aloud by his text-to-speech app.

R U OKAY Y/N PLS RSPND

His answer was quick, activating the speech-to-text app as he spoke his own text out: "Yes, I'm ok. It's cold though. Did we get sent to those icelands or whatever?"

The message sent, he pocketed his phone, feeling the cold touch of his metallic Magearna. "I'm, uh, gonna put you back in your ball. I think you're just gonna make me freeze faster." A disappointed noise came from the Magearna, but it didn't resist being called back in.

A shiver ran through him. The striped sweater that eternally marked his presence helped a bit with the cold, and his favored boots would help keep his feet dry. His shorts, comfortable and easy to wear as they were, did not help. "Would've dressed warmer if I knew this would happen," he muttered.

A different voice called out to him. This time, it was approaching him. The voice was familiar - enough that he didn't put his guard up in preparation for a fight.

"We're all right," Hideo answered. "But I got no idea where we are. We didn't just land in the Icelands, did we? Or did Rocket just screw everyone over and cause an Ice Age?" He wouldn't be surprised if Rocket caused something like that: all they did now was destroy lives for a crumb of power.

As for his own plans? "I'm gonna try to meet up with a friend. He's probably gonna hunt me down if I don't find him first. I'll go see if he's by the statue." The statue he was going to rely on Uxie to guide him towards, because he had no idea where to go. "If you wanna stick around with me, go ahead."

He was gonna have to make that walk, whether or not he wanted to.

gdi Rocket

While everyone's blacked out, Uxie comes out

Uxie uses Skill Swap on Hideo's Zoroark to change its ability to Illusion

Uxie assumes the appearance of Hideo's Joltik

Magearna recalled

Receives John Sullivan 's text, answers it.

Encounters Oliver Shrakes

Aims to head towards the statue via Uxie's guidance

Salac x2

_IP26oJE